Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1887-12-20
RAISING CALVES.
Early Maturity the Result of Intelligent
Feeding and Good Care.

/
As many farmers want the milk Of
their cows for making butter and
choose, thcy can not afford to raiso
the calves on ii, and by using combina-
tions with other foods they can grow
them with less expense. II tho milk
of the dairy is made into cheese, then
the whey may be proftably fed to
calves, provided IL Is mixed with other
food that will supply what has been
taken from the milk in making cheese
Whey is simply the sugar of milk, and
is very important element of food,
but should no more be fed alone to
calves or hogs than sugar should bo
the diet of man. Whey, before ii un-
dergoes too much fermentation, is a
valuable fattcning food, possessing the
elements OF fat in soluble and digesti-
bic condition; but as fat is only one con-
stituent OF tho animal body, life and
growth can not be supported for any
considerable longth of time upon
food that lays on only fat. Muscle
forming food should be mixed with
the whey 10 compensate for the cheese
that has been taken from II. This
may be found In oil meal, oat, barley,
or pea peal, or wheat middlings Oil
meal Is ono of the best foods to mix
with whey, as 1t possesses twenty-five
per cent of muscle-forming food with
ten per cent. of oil, and Is rich in bone
building elements. Pea meal is very
similar, except its lack of oil The
former is u laxative and tho latter
constipating food, and, therefore, thoy
are excellent to feed together. The
pea meal should be cooked to
render il easily digested, and |
oil meal should DO dissolved in
hot water before mixing with tho
whey. Wheat middlings should also
bc cooked before mixing with whey, to
produce tho best result The feeder
should begin with only two tablespoon
fuls of oil meal per day. to a calf. but |
may uso moro Of the other additional |
foods. After tho calf is q month old,
then use four ounces of oil meal and |
the same quantity Of pea meal or mid
dlings per gallon Of whey, and have all |
well mixed together when given to the
calf. Upon this diet and grass, we
have raised very fine calvos-heifors
that would woigh four hundred pounds
at six months, and by keeping them
well afterwards. would weigh as much |
as = common COW and come In at two
years old. Such heifers arc worth |
fifty dollars at two years old, while
those kept on the pinch and starve
system arc not worth half the money.
II the milk Is made into butter, then
skinned milk can be fed to the |
calves which Is much more valuable |
than whey. Skinned milk is only de-
prlvod Of lis oil, and yet contains its
most valuable clement as food-the |
cascin or cheese TO lay on muscle. and
the phosphate of limo TO form the
bones and frame Of the calf. 1t also
contains the whej, and is, therefore,
almost a erfcct food for tho young
animal. Judicious feeding with skim
med milk will raise calf with fine de-
velopment Of franc and muscle. even
better than food Of greater fattening
quality. II the quantity of milk is
small. use little oil meal or wheat
middlings with 1t; the latter Is excel
lent for that purpose, and is generally |
the cheapest Corn meal, unless thor
oughly cooked, should not be fed to
calves, MS 1t usually produces scours.
Farmers are apt 10 be too careless
about raising good stock-begrudgo
small extra expense in food and care,
and thus have animals not worth even
what they cost Twenty to thirty per
cent. added TO ordinary food and care
will double the valuo of The young
animal, and this slight additional cost
will produce profit on the whole ox-
penditurc. Ono-third added to the
weight of an animal increases the
value of its whole weight fifty per cent.
on account of quality. Farmers must
strive for carly maturity of their ami
mails. aud this can only bo accom-
plished by intelligent feeding and
good care. = NdItonGI LiUe- Stock
Journal.